Breaking Grissom
by Tanguay18
Summary: Conrad Ecklie went too far and pushed Grissom to his breaking point. Find out what happens when Grissom breaks. (post Mea Culpa) Complete!
1. I Quit

Disclaimer: I still don't own CSI and I am beginning to think I never will.

_Caution:_ Contains spoilers for Mea Culpa if you haven't seen it and don't want it ruined, don't read this. This takes place directly after Mea Culpa.

**Breaking Grissom**

**Chapter One: I Quit**

Gil Grissom sat alone in the diner's cold booth. Nick and Warrick had left a while ago, Grissom wasn't exactly how sure how much time had passed. He just sat, lost in thought. He didn't know what to do with himself. His team was being torn apart by the one man he truly hated. He knew it had to be his own fault and he felt terrible that everyone else had to suffer because of it. Maybe he'd go back to Ecklie, beg him to put his team back together, but with Catherine in charge. Grissom would just head back to California or find some other crime lab in need of an experienced CSI. The more he thought about this idea, the more it seemed to be the best option. Of course, getting Ecklie to go along with it was another thing entirely.

"Grissom? How long have you been sitting here?" a voice asked from behind.

"I don't know," he mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Sara sat across from him.

Grissom sighed, "I'm not sure."

Concern was apparent on Sara's face, "You're not thinking of doing anything….crazy, are you?"

Grissom's head shot up, "No. I'm just thinking. Can I be alone?"

Sara frowned, "Why do you always have to push people away?"

"Sara, now is the not the time to start a fight with me," Grissom warned.

"Fine, goodbye," she stood abruptly and left.

"Goodbye Sara," Grissom whispered to her back.

The little encounter with Sara had settled it for him. He needed to speak with Ecklie right away. He finally left the diner and headed back to the lab. The entire ride there, he tried to think of how to convince Ecklie to put his team back together. It wouldn't be easy, but he felt he could do it. As much as Ecklie hated him, he had to have heart somewhere in that body of his.

"Conrad," Grissom knocked on Ecklie's door.

"Come in," Ecklie called out, "what a lovely sight, how are you Gil?"

Grissom sighed, "You win Ecklie. I'm through playing your little game. I quit. But I have one serious request for you. Will you please put my team back together? I will leave, but I want them to be reunited. Would you do that for me?"

Ecklie seemed a little taken back by Grissom's words, "I wasn't aware that we were playing a game, Gil."

"You've always played games with me Ecklie, and you know it. You have finally outdone yourself. I am throwing in the towel, I'm done here," Grissom crossed his arms.

"Fine. I can't guarantee that I'll put your team back intact though," Ecklie said with an evil grin.

"Damn it Conrad! How many years of my life have I poured into this place? How much have I done for this lab? Can't you just grant me one last request?" Grissom exploded.

"Okay, have it your way, I'll put your team back together, though I don't see what purpose it will serve with you gone. What the hell do you care if you're leaving?" Ecklie shot back.

"Consider this my official resignation," Grissom stood, "I'll go clear my office now."

"Whoa," Ecklie jumped up, "you aren't just going to leave right now are you?"

"Why not? I don't want to spend another day here if I don't have to," Grissom said.

"You're putting me in one hell of a spot, you know that right, Grissom?" Ecklie growled.

"Well that would be your problem, now wouldn't it, Ecklie? You picked the wrong guy to mess with," Grissom walked out and left Ecklie sputtering.

Grissom practically ran to his office, avoiding the probing stares of everyone around him. He slammed his door and sank down into his chair. He was a little surprised that he had actually gone through with it. Now he just had to pack up his belongings and be gone before anyone could stop him. This was how he wanted to leave, just be there one day and gone the next. He thought it would be best for everyone involved, no messy goodbyes, he would just disappear.

Grissom went out to the back of the crime lab and found several cardboard boxes. He returned to his office and loaded all of his personal belongings into them. He had quite a few things to take with him, but he had to do this all right now. He didn't want Sara or Catherine or anyone to find him and stop him. He just wanted to leave the lab and never look back. He lugged several boxes out to the parking lot and loaded up his, or actually now it was the lab's again, SUV. He decided he'd take all the boxes home, then bring the SUV back to the lab, technically it was no longer his as he had quit his job.

* * *

Conrad Ecklie sat, stunned in his office. He had finally gone too far and pushed Grissom over the edge. He wasn't exactly sorry to see him go, but he knew he would take a lot of heat for getting rid of Las Vegas' best CSI. He hated that Grissom had a much better reputation than himself for solving cases, that was what really drove his torture of Grissom. Perhaps breaking up his team over something petty was one step too far. It was too late now, Grissom had been spotted storming out of the lab with boxes. His office was officially emptied out. They would probably never see him again, as Grissom didn't seem the type to change his mind easily.

"What did you do?" an angry Catherine Willows stormed into Ecklie's office.

"What?" he asked, irritated.

"Grissom's gone! I went to leave him a note in his office and all of his stuff is gone, what did you do?" Catherine shouted.

"I didn't do anything. He quit," Ecklie responded coolly.

Catherine was stunned speechless.

"What's the matter? Suddenly Gil Grissom's not the man you thought he was?" Ecklie asked.

"Shut up, you just shut up! I hate you," Catherine ran out of the office, hoping that somehow Grissom would be there, maybe he'd left something behind. But she knew that wasn't true. His office was bare, he'd made sure he'd never have to come back.

A/N: Personally, even though he's only a TV character, I HATE Conrad Ecklie. I was so mad after Mea Culpa. I started this story that night and I have made a few slight modifications. I hope you enjoy it. I decided to post this story now, updates will be slower on it because it is almost the end of the semester and I will surely be swamped with homework!


	2. Where's Grissom?

Disclaimer: I still don't own CSI and I am beginning to think I never will.

_Caution:_ Contains spoilers for Mea Culpa if you haven't seen it and don't want it ruined, don't read this. This takes place directly after Mea Culpa.

**Breaking Grissom**

**Chapter Two: Where's Grissom?**

The next night, the new graveyard shift had yet to learn of Grissom's departure. They sat waiting for him to appear and hand out assignments.

"Where's Grissom?" Greg asked impatiently.

"He's never late," Sara worried, "his office was dark when I walked past. Maybe he's taking the night off."

"He probably did take a night off, he seemed pretty upset when we were talking to Ecklie," Sophia's voice went cold upon mention of her former supervisor.

"I hate that man," Sara narrowed her eyes, "he's a terrible person."

"I can't believe he broke us up," Greg sighed, "I was enjoying working with everyone and now half the team is gone."

Catherine entered the lounge, looking a little dazed, "Uh I guess I'm back on nights."

"You're kidding," Sara said.

"No, unfortunately I'm not kidding. Grissom, he quit this morning. He's gone. Cleared out his office and left," Catherine shook her head, "and guess who's replacing him."

"What?! He left? As in Vegas, did he leave town?" Sara jumped up.

"I don't know, all I know is when I came in this afternoon, all Grissom's stuff was gone," Catherine explained.

"Can't someone go see if he's at his house?" Greg asked.

"I actually never thought of that," Catherine's eyes grew huge, "screw whatever stupid case we've got waiting for us, let's go."

"Wait, I'll take that case," Sophia offered, "the last thing we need is Ecklie finding out we all abandoned our jobs."

"Thank you," Catherine said, handing Sophia the single sheet of paper describing the night's lone case.

Sara, Greg and Catherine ran out to the parking lot. They were all about to climb into Catherine's SUV when they noticed Grissom's parked next to it.

"Isn't that Grissom's?" Greg pointed to the vehicle.

"I think it is, but I thought you said he wasn't here," Sara turned to Catherine.

Catherine suddenly felt sick, "He must have brought it back. It's not his now that he quit."

"Oh," Sara sighed in realization, "come on let's go before it's too late."

"It may already be too late," Catherine said.

The drive to Grissom's place was spent in silence. None of them knew what to say, they could only hope that he hadn't already skipped town. They pulled up and all jumped out of Catherine's SUV practically before it stopped. They ran to Grissom's door and knocked frantically, praying he'd be there. There was no response, so they knocked again, only making sure to be louder this time.

"He's not there," a woman announced, "if you're looking for Dr. Grissom. He left a couple hours ago. He said that his friends would probably come looking for him."

"Where did he go?" Sara asked.

"I'm not sure, he just said he was leaving when I saw him," the woman said, "by the way, I'm his neighbor. Oh, is one of you Catherine Willows?"

"That's me," Catherine stepped forward.

"He left an envelope for you, it's under the door mat," she gestured.

Greg stepped off the mat and lifted it, finding an envelope with Catherine's name on it. He picked it up and handed it to her.

"Thank you," Catherine told the neighbor as she returned to her own home.

"What does it say? Does it say where he is?" Sara asked.

"Let me get it open," Catherine said.

Catherine tore the envelope open, not even trying to be careful with it. Inside there was a folded piece of paper. Catherine's fingers fumbled as she tried to quickly unfold it. She opened it to find the words "Goodbye to my family." She flipped the paper over frantically.

"That's it?" Greg asked.

"Just goodbye?" Sara mumbled.

"He…he didn't even tell us where he went!" Catherine exclaimed.

"He can just disappear, can he?" Sara was near tears.

"I think it's his way of saying to let it drop, I think he wants us to just forget him," Greg said, holding back laughter.

"We can't just forget him!" Sara Catherine snapped.

"I know, he's crazy," Greg couldn't help laughing now, he was sort of hysterical.

"This is all Ecklie's fault," Sara stated.

"I could just kill him," Catherine snarled.

"Maybe we should go have a word with him," Greg suggested.

"I don't know if I can look at his face," Sara sniffled.

"I have never hated anyone as much as I hate Conrad Ecklie, just saying his name makes me mad," Catherine headed back to her waiting vehicle.

* * *

"What do you want?" Ecklie asked irritably as three of Grissom's former crew stood in his office.

"You made Grissom leave!" Sara accused.

"Hey, he quit, I didn't fire him," Ecklie said smugly.

"You know damn well you are the one who drove him to it," Catherine snapped back.

"Well, the point is he's gone. There's not a thing any of us can do about it," Ecklie smiled, "particularly if he already skipped town."

"I quit," Sara suddenly piped up.

"What?" all three of the other people in the room turned to her.

A/N: To be continued in the next chapter.... Also, I decided I had to update it tonight because I got so many reviews. Thanks for the interest in the story, I will try and update as frequently as possible.


	3. Heading Home

Disclaimer: I still don't own CSI and I am beginning to think I never will.

_Caution:_ Contains spoilers for Mea Culpa if you haven't seen it and don't want it ruined, don't read this. This takes place directly after Mea Culpa.

**Breaking Grissom**

**Chapter Three: Heading Home**

"You heard me, I quit. Grissom brought me here, I only came as a favor to him. If he's not here anymore, I certainly don't need to be here," Sara was on the verge of tears again.

"You can't just leave us," Greg said.

"I can and I will. Grissom was the reason I came here and he'll be the reason I leave," Sara said firmly.

"He may have brought you here, but don't you care about the rest of us?" Catherine was shocked.

"Of course I do, but my reason for coming here is gone, so I don't want to be here anymore, I'm sure I can get a position back in California," Sara told them, "I'm done here."

"Don't tell me you're all quitting," Ecklie said.

"We should," Catherine glared at him, "you can't go Sara."

"Grissom left and so can I," Sara walked out.

Greg chased after her, leaving Catherine alone with Ecklie.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for everyone to leave," Ecklie tried to apologize, but didn't even sound sincere.

"Way too little, way too late, Conrad," Catherine turned to follow the others.

"Sara wait," Greg caught her arm.

Sara spun around looking as if she might hit Greg, but instead just stopped.

"You can't go too Sara," Catherine repeated, "Grissom left us suddenly and I don't want to lose you too. You're a good CSI and a good friend Sara."

Sara slumped to the floor and no longer fought back tears, "I hate this."

Greg kneeled down and hugged her to try and help comfort her. Sara leaned into the embrace and cried hard. Catherine stood, rubbing her head, trying to figure out what to do or say.

Sophia returned to the lab at this point, "I take it you couldn't find him."

"He was gone. Left a note that just said goodbye," Catherine explained.

"I'm sorry," Sophia said, "I know I barely knew him, but I liked Grissom too."

* * *

Grissom packed all of his things and rented a moving truck. He was ready to leave Las Vegas for good. The second he quit his job, he no longer had any reason to stay in Vegas. He had all of his belongings into the truck and he headed back inside for a last survey, to make sure he hadn't left anything behind. He didn't want any reason to have to come back. As he was about to lock up, he realized he hadn't even let his friends know he was leaving. He didn't want to see them, he was afraid they might talk him into staying, so he decided on a quick note. He wrote a simple message that let them know he had cared for them, "Goodbye to my family." He stuck it an envelope and wrote Catherine's name across the front. If he knew his old friend, she'd come here looking for him. He tucked the note carefully under the door mat.

"You're leaving town, Dr. Grissom?" Elizabeth, his neighbor asked.

"Yeah. I had to leave kind of suddenly, so if any of my friends show up looking for me, tell them there's a not for Catherine Willows under the doormat, please," Grissom said, bending down to scratch her dog behind the ear.

"Sure thing," Elizabeth said, "if I'd known you were leaving, I would have helped you out."

"It's okay, I didn't even know I was leaving for sure until this morning," Grissom said with a sad smile, "I'd better be going now, I have a long drive ahead of me."

"Goodbye Dr. Grissom," Elizabeth called as he got into the truck.

"Goodbye Las Vegas," Grissom said as he pulled away.

Grissom had decided that he would head for California. He would pay his mother a visit for starters. Then he would start looking for new job. He wouldn't limit his search to California either, he'd search crime labs nationwide to see if they could use an experienced CSI. He knew his mother would enjoy his visit. He was not looking forward to her questions though, he knew she would wonder why he had come to see her and brought all of his belongings with him. He would worry about that later, when he was actually close to home. For now, he was just free. He hadn't been free in a long time, he had always been tied to the lab.

It didn't take long before Grissom started to wonder about his friends. He knew they would not be happy with his sudden departure. He only hoped they didn't take it personally. It was no one's fault but his own. Of course, Ecklie had helped push him to the breaking point, but he had needed a change of scenery for a while. Ecklie just set the wheels into motion.

He had the feeling that some of them might take his abrupt leaving poorly, but it was the way he had always planned to leave. Sara would probably take it the hardest because she was always an emotional person and she had the habit of taking things personally. She had been the closest to him that anyone had ever gotten. Catherine would probably take it pretty hard too because she had known him for a long time. She was tough though, and he knew she would be fine. Warrick and Nick would both be fine. Even if it did upset them, they wouldn't let it get to them. Greg might take it a little harder, sure he had his times when he'd set Grissom off by annoying him, but it was obvious that Greg looked up to Grissom.

Grissom almost regretted leaving like he had, but he had it firmly set in his mind that this was they way he wanted to do it. He couldn't crack and call to let them know he was okay. He just had to be gone and never look back, that was the easiest way. Of course when he had planned his escape years ago, he hadn't been quite so attached to his CSIs. He turned on the radio, hoping it would clear his mind of all his troubled thoughts. He wanted to just drive and not have to think for a while.

A/N: I just want to say thank you for the great response to this story, I'm glad that everyone is liking it so much.


	4. Sara

Disclaimer: I still don't own CSI and I am beginning to think I never will.

_Caution:_ Contains spoilers for Mea Culpa if you haven't seen it and don't want it ruined, don't read this. This takes place directly after Mea Culpa.

**Breaking Grissom**

**Chapter Four: Sara**

Sara knew she was being unreasonable, but she was really hurt that Grissom had left and not said a word to her. She couldn't believe he would take off and not even say so much as goodbye to her. Sure, there was the note, but that was for all of them, it was impersonal. She'd had her bad times with Grissom, but in the end he was a good friend to her. She didn't want their relationship to end. It had finally stabilized into a good healthy friendship and then he turned and ran away.

Catherine and Greg had tried to talk her into staying at the lab, but she wouldn't have it. She had meant it when she told them that Grissom was the only reason she had ever come to Nevada. Of course, over time she had become attached to the rest of them, but now they would be a painful reminder of how Grissom had abandoned her. Nick had even showed up at her house, but she hadn't let him in. Now, she knew she was hurting them all too, but she didn't care because she was hurting too much herself.

"California!" Sara suddenly exclaimed aloud to her empty apartment, "he must have gone home."

She called the airport to see how soon she could get a flight to California. She had a strong feeling that Grissom had gone home to see his mother. She had been to his hometown only once, but she knew she could find his home if she could only get there. Sara was able to get a flight that evening and she packed up some of her belongings and headed for the airport.

* * *

"Hello Mom," Grissom signed as she wrapped her arms around her son.

"What brings you home?" she signed back.

"I just wanted to see my mother," he signed.

Mrs. Grissom could tell her son was not telling the whole story, but she accepted his explanation for now. She was glad to see he had come home. There would be time later to find out what precisely had brought him here.

"Let me help you bring some of your things inside," she signed to him.

"We can do that later, how are you mom?" Grissom signed.

"Same as always," she replied.

Grissom smiled, "It's nice to be home."

"Can I get you something to drink?" his mother asked.

"That would be great," he answered.

"Make yourself comfortable," she gestured for him to sit down.

Grissom found a spot to sit on the couch and scanned the house. It had been quite a while since he'd been able to come home. He'd visited a few times, but now he could stay for as long as he wanted. He could really catch up with his mother. He smiled as she returned with a glass of lemonade and plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies.

Grissom made a funny face, "Did you know I was coming? Fresh cookies?"

His mother smiled, "I eat cookies too, son."

Grissom laughed and bit into a warm cookie, "Good."

Several hours later, a knock came at the door.

"I wonder who that could be, I'm not expecting visitors," his mom said.

"I'll get it," Grissom stood.

He opened the door and was shocked to find Sara Sidle standing in front of him.

"Oh good, this is the right house," she smiled.

"Sara, what are you doing here?" Grissom's jaw dropped.

His mother appeared at the door now and signed, "Who is this?"

"A friend from work," Grissom explained.

"Don't be rude, let her in," his mother smiled and opened the door so Sara could enter.

"Thank you," Sara said, "I don't know any sign language."

"It's okay, she can read lips," Grissom explained.

"Welcome to our home," Mrs. Grissom signed.

"That means welcome," Grissom translated.

Mrs. Grissom offered Sara a cookie and then went off into the kitchen to get her a glass of lemonade.

"What are you doing here, Sara?" Grissom asked when his mother was gone.

"You left so suddenly," Sara began, "it really hurt. You just disappeared. So when it hit me that you would probably come home, I had to come find you. You just left."

"I'm sorry, Sara, it's just that I thought it would be best for me to leave that way," Grissom said.

"Best for who? Everyone is really upset," Sara told him.

"I just didn't want to have to deal with the goodbyes, you know I'm not good at that stuff," Grissom reasoned.

"Well I quit too," Sara told him.

"What? That's crazy, why would you do that?" Grissom asked.

"You're not the only one who can just leave," Sara crossed her arms.

"But Sara, you were doing so good. You're one of the best CSIs, why would you just leave?" Grissom inquired.

"I could say the same to you," Sara narrowed her eyes.

Grissom squeezed his eyes shut, "You don't understand, Sara. I had to just leave and not look back. Besides, I'm old, you're still young, don't throw your career away because of me."

Grissom's mother returned carrying a glass of lemonade for Sara, "So what brings your friend to town?"

Grissom signed, "It's a long story."

Sensing the tension, Mrs. Grissom signed to her son that she was going to go for a walk and that she'd be back later.

"She's going for a walk," Grissom explained to a confused looking Sara.

"I'm not throwing my career away," Sara started, "I just thought that if you could quit, there was no reason for me to stay in Vegas."

"What about Nick, Catherine, Warrick and Greg? You're just going to let them drop out of your life?" Grissom asked.

"You were willing to let all of us just go," Sara countered.

"It's different for me though, I have worked in Vegas for so long, I've taken so much crap from Ecklie. It was time for me to move on," Grissom tried to explain.

"And in moving on you were willing to let your closest friends suffer?" Sara asked.

"I didn't think anyone would really care that I was gone. I planned this out a long time ago in my head. Whenever I left, I would just sort of disappear into the night. I guess I never counted on getting attached to anyone or having anyone get hurt when I left," Grissom sighed.

"Well guess what, I got hurt!" Sara exclaimed, "and so did the rest of your team. We all looked up to you Grissom."

"I'm sorry, but can we please drop this, I don't want to start a fight with you, Sara," Grissom stood.

"What? You want me to leave?" Sara sounded upset.

"No, you don't have to leave, but I don't want to continue this conversation. This is exactly why I left without saying goodbye. I knew things would get complicated," Grissom turned away from Sara.

"Life is complicated, Gris," Sara stood and made him face her, "and you're willing to let the only friends you've got just slip away?"

"I'm sorry, I can't stay in Las Vegas anymore," Grissom explained, "and it's too late. I've already done serious harm to all those relationships by leaving."

"Where are you going to go?" Sara asked.

"I'm not sure," Grissom answered.

"So, just goodbye, have a nice life? You're just going to let it all end like this," Sara whispered.

"Just, please go back to Vegas," Grissom directed, "don't worry about me, I'll be fine. And go back to the lab, I will even call and make sure you still have a job there."

"Fine, have it your way, goodbye Gil Grissom, some friend you are," Sara sobbed and ran away.

Grissom sighed heavily. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he hadn't expected anyone to chase after him. Although, he should have known them better, they wouldn't just let him disappear forever without at least trying to look for him.

A/N: Don't worry, this story is not over yet!


	5. Back to Vegas

Disclaimer: I still don't own CSI and I am beginning to think I never will.

_Caution:_ Contains spoilers for Mea Culpa if you haven't seen it and don't want it ruined, don't read this. This takes place directly after Mea Culpa.

**Breaking Grissom**

**Chapter Five: Back to Vegas**

Sara wandered alone on the streets of Marina Del Rey for a few hours. Strangers passed her on the streets, a few stopping to ask if she was okay. She ignored them and continued her lonely journey through the streets. She didn't want anything to do with anyone at that moment. Finally, she got tired and called for a cab to take her back to the airport. She didn't care how long she had to wait, she wanted to go back to Las Vegas. She suddenly wanted to be far away from Marina Del Rey and one Gilbert Grissom.

Sara flew back to Vegas and went to the crime lab. She hoped that she could get her job back because now it was the only thing she had. She went straight to Ecklie's office, avoiding the questioning glances from those that knew her.

"So, look who came crawling back," Ecklie smiled as Sara entered his office.

"Just tell me if I still have a job here or not," Sara was in no mood for Ecklie's games.

"Well, I would say no, but I'll let you have your job back as a favor to someone," Ecklie told her.

"Really? Who?" Sara asked, surprised.

"I can't say, just take the job or leave it," Ecklie said.

"I'll take it," Sara smiled, "thank you."

"But beware, Sidle, I'll have my eye on you, one slip up and you're gone," Ecklie warned as she left.

"Don't worry about me," Sara assured him.

Ecklie watched as she walked away. He had only done Grissom the favor of letting Sara keep her job because he felt a little guilty. Of course he'd never tell anyone that, but it was the truth. When Grissom had called, Ecklie made seem as though he wouldn't even consider giving her the job, but finally relented because of his guilt.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Sara, what are you doing here?" Greg asked when he spotted Sara walking through the lab.

"I work here, what else would I be doing?" Sara asked.

"I thought you quit," Greg said.

"Well you thought wrong," Sara told him, "I still work here."

"Good to see you back," Greg smiled, "we missed you, even if you were only gone a few days. It was really sad around here with you and Grissom both gone."

"I missed you too, Greg," Sara said.

"Sara, you're back," Nick came around the corner.

"Yes I am, I didn't know you were back on graveyard," Sara hugged her friend.

"Yeah, when you left, Ecklie stuck me and Warrick back on nightshift," Nick smiled.

"I'm back too," Sara smiled too.

"It's like we're all reunited, except for Grissom," Greg said sadly.

"And I wouldn't count on him ever coming back," Sara stated coldly.

"How would you know that?" Nick asked.

Sara sighed, "I went to California, to Marina Del Rey. I saw Grissom and he seemed pretty set on not coming back. We got into a sort of fight and he told me to leave."

"You went to Grissom's home?" Greg asked, surprised.

"I went there once, when I was still living in California, I didn't meet his mother at the time, but I remembered where he lived," Sara explained, "I was just, I was really hurt that he left without saying goodbye. And now he is mad at me."

"I'm sorry Sara, I know he was a good friend," Nick looked genuinely sorry for her.

"The key word there being 'was'," Sara said, angrily.

"I know you're upset, Sara, but maybe Grissom has a really good reason for leaving like he did," Nick offered.

"I don't think he even understands his reasoning," Sara sighed, "but I appreciate that you want to help Nicky."

"Anytime," Nick flashed her a smile, "I'm just glad you decided you wanted to come back here. Things would get pretty boring without you around. Who else can I complain to about the way things are falling apart?"

"It really wouldn't have been worth hanging around if you weren't here, it's one thing to lose one of our own, but losing two of you guys, it would have really sucked," Greg added.

"Well it's good to know that I am wanted here," Sara smiled, "what do you guys say we go get a cup of coffee?"

"Sara?" Catherine ran into the trio.

"Yes," Sara answered, glad for a distraction. She didn't want to cry again.

"There's a call for you," Catherine explained, "in my office."

"Thanks," Sara walked down the hall.

"Hello," Sara picked up the phone.

"Sara, thank goodness," the other voice said.

"Grissom?" Sara asked.

"Sara, look, I'm sorry," Grissom started, "you took all the trouble to come out here and see me and I just turned you away. It was stupid of me."

"I don't know if I should even be talking to you right now," Sara snapped, "I'm mad and I might say something I will regret later."

"Don't hang up, Sara," Grissom pleaded, "it was wrong, I know it was. I'm sorry I was stupid. I just had this all planned out in my head that when I left Vegas, I would do it suddenly, without notice, and I would never look back. I guess in my plan, I had never thought that anyone might come after me. I never thought I would hurt anyone."

Sara sighed softly, "You thought you could just slip away and no one would notice?"

"Like I said, I didn't really think this all the way through," Grissom said.

"So come back, we still want you here Grissom," Sara told him.

"I'm sorry, but so long as Conrad Ecklie is in Las Vegas, I will not be," Grissom sighed now.

"Damn Ecklie, he just screwed our whole world up," Sara seethed, "I wish he would just give up and leave."

"Don't count on it, he loves his job, he gets to torture me and the people closest to me now that I am gone," Grissom advised.

"I know. All we can do is just wait for him to screw up and get fired, and that may never happen," Sara shook her head.

"It's late, I should be getting off the phone now," Grissom said, "I'm so sorry Sara, and thank you for letting me apologize."

"Goodnight Grissom," Sara hung up.

At that moment, Sara wished she could make Conrad Ecklie disappear off the face of the earth. He seemed to be the cause of all the problems she was having right now. He was a terrible person, and now she understood why Grissom always hated him. It suddenly hit her who had asked Ecklie to let her stay here. It was Grissom, she remembered him saying something about calling Ecklie when she left. Sara smiled briefly to herself, grateful that he had somehow convinced Ecklie to let her keep her job. She desperately wished she could convince Grissom to return, but knew it would never happen with Ecklie around.

"We couldn't wait any longer, what did Grissom say?" Greg asked, bursting into the office.

Sara smiled, "Well aren't you the nosy one?"

"We all want to know," Nick said, Catherine and now Warrick present too.

"He apologized to me and basically said that the only chance he'd come back is if Ecklie was gone," Sara started, "he also said he's sorry if he hurt anyone in the way he left."

"So there's no chance that he's coming back," Warrick said sadly.

"This is all because of Conrad Ecklie, too bad we can't get rid of him," Greg mused.

"I think if we leave Ecklie to his devices for long enough, he'll screw things up around here so bad that they'll fire him," Catherine reasoned, "he's already had the job only a few days and has things around here all screwed up. First splitting up night shift, then bringing us back together."

"I hope you're right," Sara said, "I'd love to see Ecklie run out of here."

"I think we all would," Nick smiled, "that'd be the day."

"What are we talking about?" Jim Brass found the CSIs gathered in what used to be Gil Grissom's office.

"Ecklie," Sara told him.

"And how much we hate him," Greg added.

"You guys should start a club, you'd get a lot of members from here," Brass laughed.

"I think the whole lab might join," Catherine smiled.

"It's too bad he screwed things up around here, I don't know about you guys, but I'm missing Grissom," Brass sighed.

"We all are," Sara said, "but the only way he's coming back is if we get rid of Ecklie."

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could just take him out? I mean we could all be pretty good at hiding evidence," Greg mused.

"Don't even say that, what if someone hears you?" Nick warned.

"Yeah, imagine if someone heard you say that and then somehow Ecklie did turn up dead, you'd suspect number one," Warrick said.

"Ha, we'd all be suspects, even Grissom, the entire crime lab hates the guy," Brass shook his head, "talk about the wrong man for the job."

A/N: I meant to update sooner, but I went home for the weekend and my family decided to celebrate my birthday (which is Tuesday). So I never hardly had a chance to sit down at my computer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.


	6. Life Without Grissom

Disclaimer: I still don't own CSI and I am beginning to think I never will.

_Caution:_ Contains spoilers for Mea Culpa if you haven't seen it and don't want it ruined, don't read this. This takes place directly after Mea Culpa.

**Breaking Grissom**

**Chapter Six: Life Without Grissom**

Catherine was good at doing her new job as supervisor of night shift, but everyone could tell she was struggling to fill in Grissom's shoes. No one expected her to be just like he had been, but she had extremely high standards for herself. Of course, she wished she could have been put on days, but for now, the graveyard was better than swing shift. When Catherine was stressed out, everyone felt it.

"Assignments," Catherine announced, "Nick and Sara, you have a dead body in a hotel on the strip. Greg, you are with me on a robbery at a small jewelry store. Warrick, you are taking a missing person call."

"Am I ever going to take my proficiency test?" Greg asked, "I should be a CSI level one now."

"You'll take the test when I have time to do it, Greg," Catherine said in an irritated tone, "for now, just worry about doing what your supervisor tells you."

"Sorry," Greg hung his head.

The rest of the CSIs snuck out, not wanting to catch some of Catherine's wrath. They hoped she'd calm down when she got settled into her new job, but there was no guarantee. Her struggle made them miss their former supervisor all the more. Of course Grissom had probably struggled a bit when he was promoted, but he was better at keeping things to himself. Catherine, on the other hand, seemed to be projecting her stress on the rest of the team.

"She's in another great mood," Nick said to Sara as they headed for the parking lot.

"I hope it's just temporarily displaced stress," Sara returned.

"Probably, just adjusting to the new job," Nick agreed.

"It doesn't help that she's trying to fill in a big void. I mean, Grissom may not have been perfect at the administrative part, but he was scientifically the best CSI I've ever worked with," Sara told Nick.

"Yeah, I learned everything I know from him," Nick nodded, "it's amazing some of the things he could pick up. What are we going to do if we get a case with lots of bugs now? Our resident bug expert is gone. We only know bits and pieces of the stuff he knew."

"I never thought about that part," Sara smiled as Nick opened his passenger door for her, "I don't necessarily hate the bugs, but sometimes they creep me out."

"Oh me too," Nick slid into the driver's seat, "bugs are definitely not my thing."

"I suppose I'd take bugs over a severe decomp, though," Sara scrunched up her nose at the memory of 'Liquid Man' from years ago.

"True, creepy-crawlies are much better than the stench of a severely rotting corpse," Nick agreed.

"So I heard a CSI from dayshift left today," Sara said, "got a job offer in New Jersey and took off. Seems like everyone can sense this place is going down and they want to get out before it's to late."

"With Ecklie in charge, it'll be a miracle if anyone is left here in a month," Nick mused, "not that I blame those who want to run. I know if I was given the chance to go somewhere else and still somehow have all you guys with me, I'd take it. I think you guys are the only reason I stay here. You're all like my family when I'm away from real family."

Sara smiled, "Yeah, the team is pretty much my family. I haven't really been home to see my parents in a while. Being an only child, I don't have siblings to visit me either."

"I can't imagine what it would be like to the only child. There were always tons of people around when I was growing up," Nick said.

"I don't think I would have liked being in a big family, I was always pretty quiet as a kid," Sara shook her head, "not that being the only kid meant I got extra attention from my parents. They never understood me, I was always so different from them. They were always telling _me_ to take it easy."

"It must have been hard for you, I know you've told me before that you had to be more of an adult than your parents," Nick snuck a glance at his partner.

"I turned out okay, though didn't I?" Sara replied.

"I don't know about that," Nick smiled.

Sara turned to look at him, "What does that mean?"

"Nothing," Nick parked the vehicle, "time to get working."

"Seriously, what did you mean by that?" Sara jumped out of the SUV and chased Nick, "Are you saying I'm not okay?"

Nick laughed, "All I meant was I think you turned out more than fine, you're a wonderful woman, Sara."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Warrick was just arriving back at the lab from his case when he spotted Catherine and Greg heading inside. Catherine looked a little bit angry and Greg looked like he was in trouble. Warrick shook his head, Catherine was way too busy lately. He decided that it was time he confronted Catherine.

"Hey Cath," he spotted her down the hall.

"Hello Warrick," she slowed down for him.

"Do you have time to grab a cup of coffee?" Warrick asked hopefully.

Catherine checked her watch, "Sure. Sounds like you want more than a cup of coffee though."

"Yeah, I guess I do, I just want to talk," Warrick said honestly.

"Okay, let's get coffee and take it to my office," Catherine juggled the papers she was carrying.

"Here, let me take some of that for you," Warrick grabbed some of the stack from her hands.

"Thanks," Catherine said.

They grabbed some coffee and headed for Catherine's office, which of course once belonged to Gil Grissom. It was another one of Ecklie's cruel games to stick Catherine with Grissom's office. There were a few open offices, but he made sure to put her in her predecessor's old office.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Catherine asked once they were both settled in.

Warrick took a deep breath, "It's just, I know that you're under extra stress with the new position and all, but you've been really snappy lately. Please, don't take it out on me, but everyone has been kind of trying to avoid you."

Catherine looked into his eyes, "I know. I'm sorry, really I am. I just wasn't expecting to have to take over Grissom's job. I thought I would be on dayshift, not here."

"Is it so different?" Warrick inquired.

"Well, here everyone is always making some comment about how Grissom would have done such and such. It's making me crazy. I'm not Grissom, and I miss him too. It's hard enough trying to do this job without Greg saying Grissom was teaching him differently," Catherine sighed.

"That's tough," Warrick sympathized, "I hadn't realized we were all putting extra pressure on you."

"It's not your fault," Catherine assured, "I should try and calm down. I'm sure my being a bad mood is not helping anyone else around here."

"No, it's sure not," Warrick smiled, "how about we go out for breakfast after shift? Alone."

Catherine smiled, "Sure. And I'll try to take it easier on everyone around here."

A/N: I felt the other characters in the story needed a bit of attention...and Sara still ended up being a lot of this chapter. I swear I wasn't trying to make this all about her, but it's just kind of coming out that way.


	7. Life Without Vegas

Disclaimer: I still don't own CSI and I am beginning to think I never will.

_Caution:_ Contains spoilers for Mea Culpa if you haven't seen it and don't want it ruined, don't read this. This takes place directly after Mea Culpa.

**Breaking Grissom**

**Chapter 7: Life Without Vegas**

Grissom was able to successfully spend about an hour not thinking of how things were going in Las Vegas. He really did want to just enjoy his time off, but he was quickly finding that his life was empty without his work. Of course he was enjoying time with his mother, he loved the woman dearly, but outside her, he didn't have much of a life. He hated to admit it, but he hadn't quite realized before now just how much time he spent at his job.

He managed to spend about week with his mother before he had to call and find out what was going on at the lab. He knew that they were in capable hands with Catherine in charge, but he still had to know how they were doing. He decided Sara was the best one to call as she had been the last one he'd spoken with. He dialed her cell phone and she picked up on the second ring.

"Sidle here," she answered.

"Hey Sara," Grissom greeted.

"Gris! How are you?" Sara inquired, "is everything going all right?"

"Everything is fine. As a matter of face, I was just calling to ask you the very same question," Grissom said.

"Are you missing us Gris?" Sara teased.

"You might say that," Grissom smiled, "how are things?"

"Not too bad. Catherine's been a little stressed out. I think given enough time she'll do just fine as supervisor," Sara said.

"I have faith in her," Grissom put in.

"Honestly, we've all been stressed out because there were just so many rapid changes around here. Ecklie just reduced the amount of overtime we're allowed to have. Another CSI left from dayshift. We're so short staffed around here. They're desperate to bring in someone from outside to help for a while," Sara explained, hoping that Grissom was getting her not so subtle message.

Grissom sighed, "Sara, we already had this discussion, can we just drop it? I'm not coming back to work under Conrad Ecklie."

"I know," Sara sighed too, "you can't say I didn't try. We really are short though."

"And if truth be told, I do miss the job. But I stand by my statement about Ecklie. How is Greg doing? Isn't it about time for his first field proficiency test?" Grissom asked wanting to change the subject.

"It is about time, but we don't have the time for it right now. As soon as things get more settled down around here, I'm sure Catherine will test him," Sara said, "in the meantime, he's learning a lot. I've been working with him. He says I'm the best one to learn from because I learned most of what I know from you."

"Tell him I'm sorry for leaving him in the middle of his training, I never even thought of that. But he's right, you're one of the best to learn from, you're very bright Sara," Grissom complimented.

Sara blushed, glad Grissom couldn't see her, "I learned from the best."

Grissom smiled, "How are you doing?"

"Oh I'm doing just fine," Sara assured him.

"Good to hear," Grissom said.

"So what do you do to pass the time?" Sara inquired.

"I've been spending time with my mom. And reading a lot of my old books," Grissom said, "nothing terribly interesting."

Sara laughed, "You should take your own advice that you once gave me. Find a hobby, and I mean beside your bug collecting."

"That's actually some pretty good advice," Grissom agreed, "I should look into finding something else to do."

"If nothing else, try and see if you can work at a crime lab there," Sara said, "even though that would mean that there is much less of a chance that you'll return to Vegas. I'd rather see you happy in California than suffering in Vegas."

"I thought about looking for a job too, but I figured I'd at least have a few weeks off, get good and rested. So I'm fresh for a new job should I decided to get one," Grissom explained.

"That's a good idea, you wouldn't want to start a new job and burn out right away," Sara said.

"That was exactly my reasoning," Grissom told her.

"I hate to break our call off, but I'm back at the lab and I have some evidence to log, and I need to meet Nicky," Sara hesitantly told him.

"Oh, I'm sorry to have interrupted you at work," Grissom apologized.

"No, it's okay, I was glad to hear from you. Don't be afraid to call me again, if you just want to talk," Sara offered.

"I'll keep that in mind," Grissom thanked her, "goodbye."

"Bye Gris," Sara hung up.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

After three weeks off, Grissom had seriously reconsidered his original stipulation. In the end though, Conrad Ecklie was enough to keep him in California. He just couldn't watch the lab go down in flames under Ecklie. Grissom could only hope that higher management would realize that was just what Ecklie was doing before it was too late. He had put a lot of work into the lab in his years there and it did seem such a waste to watch Ecklie destroy it.

Mrs. Grissom could tell her son was getting restless.

"You should go back," she told him one afternoon.

"No, I told you I can't," Grissom shook his head.

"Son, I can tell you are suffering," she signed, "I know my own son and you are not happy here."

"I am happy, I'm spending time with my mom," Grissom told her, "I won't go back there."

"Have it your way," she shook her head, "I know you're unhappy, but I'll let it go for now."

"How can you still read me so well?" Grissom asked.

"It's a mother's intuition," she beamed at her son, "you can always sense your child's feelings."

Grissom smiled, she had been right on. He was unhappy in California, but at this point he wasn't sure what else to do. He decided maybe it was time to start looking into crime labs locally to see if they needed some short term help. Then he could search across the country, find a lab that needed some help and go to them. It was beginning to seem like the best plan.

A/N: Another chapter for you. I hope you enjoyed it.


	8. It Finally Happened

Disclaimer: I still don't own CSI and I am beginning to think I never will.

_Caution:_ Contains spoilers for Mea Culpa if you haven't seen it and don't want it ruined, don't read this. This takes place directly after Mea Culpa.

**Breaking Grissom**

**Chapter Eight: It Finally Happened**

Conrad Ecklie had managed to thoroughly screw up the Las Vegas Crime Lab in only one month's time. The higher ups of the Vegas PD had a meeting to decide what the best course of action would be. Their final decision was to demote Ecklie back to his old position, which meant another round of musical chairs for the CSIs. They decided that the current dayshift supervisor was the right person to take over Ecklie's position.

Ecklie blew up when he heard he was being demoted and quit. That left the lab with an open position for supervisor. Catherine was first in line for the dayshift job, but that would leave nights open. Ultimately, they wanted to bring Gil Grissom back in. The higher ups had been furious when they found Ecklie had caused Grissom's sudden departure.

It was only a matter of hours before the news had spread around the lab.

"You won't believe what I just heard finally happened," Greg beamed proudly at his gossip.

"You're right, we probably won't," Warrick countered.

Greg was only slightly hurt, "Oh this is the kind of news that's almost too good to be true."

"Well spit it out already!" Nick prodded.

"Conrad Ecklie was demoted from his job, got angry and quit!" Greg announced.

The room was silent. He had managed to catch the attention of all the older CSIs in the room.

"Greg, it's not right to joke about something like that," Catherine finally spoke.

"You know how badly we all want that to be true," Sara shook her head, "that's just cruel."

"I'm not joking! I just heard that from the sheriff himself," Greg defended, "ask him if you don't believe me."

"Could this really be happening?" Sara asked.

"Believe it," Greg crossed his arms definitively.

"If Ecklie's gone, does that mean?" Nick started.

"Who's going to tell Grissom?" Catherine asked.

"I will, I'm the only one he seems to talk to these days," Sara offered with a smile, "I think he'll be pleased to hear our latest news."

"We should throw a good riddance party for Ecklie," Greg laughed.

"Not a bad idea," Catherine smiled, "the man had a knack for screwing everything up around here. Did I not say that he would eventually self-destruct?"

"You were right on," Warrick agreed.

"I can't wait, I'm going to go call Grissom right now, if you don't mind," Sara stood up.

"Go for it," Catherine nodded her approval, "you can sit in my office if you'd like."

"Thanks," Sara headed for the office to make her call in private. Her fingers flew across the phone, the number familiar to her. She had made a habit of calling Grissom at least once a week to see how things were going for him. She listened as the phone rang three and four times. She hung up her cell phone in disappointment, he wasn't home. She sighed and headed back to the rest of the gang.

"That was quick," Greg said, as she returned.

"There was no answer," Sara sighed, "I'll have to call him later."

"Time for assignments to be handed out then," Catherine announced.

----------------------------------------------------------

Sara tried calling Grissom a few more times that evening, but to no avail. She was frustrated that the one time she really wanted to get a hold of him, he was not there. She finally gave up and decided she'd just have to wait for him to return the call.

Grissom finally returned Sara's call the next morning.

"Hello," Sara answered.

"Hi Sara," Grissom started.

"Where were you? I called you several times yesterday," Sara snapped.

"I'm sorry, I was out all day. I forgot to take my phone with me. What's so important that you called so many times?" Grissom asked.

Sara took a deep breath to calm herself down, "You won't believe the incredibly good news I have for you."

"Oh, and what would that be?" Grissom inquired.

"You know how you said you would never consider coming back to Vegas so long as Ecklie was here?" Sara asked.

"Yes," Grissom responded, "and I'm still sticking to that."

Sara smiled, "You are safe to come back now. Ecklie was demoted and rather than taking his old job back he quit. You are finally free to return to Vegas."

Grissom sighed, "That's great news Sara."

"It is, but why don't you sound happy?" Sara inquired, sensing something was off.

"I'm afraid I received a job offer just this morning, I've already got a new job Sara," Grissom said.

Sara was silent.

"You still there?" Grissom asked.

"Yes. I just, I was so sure you'd want to come back here. So you really got a job this morning?" Sara asked, defeat in her tone.

"I know, how's that for timing? I can't just tell these people that I accept their offer and then turn around and say 'never mind'. That wouldn't be right," Grissom explained, "but you guys will be so much better off just without Ecklie around."

"True," Sara tried to hide her disappointment unsuccessfully, "well I have to go now. I need to get ready for work."

"Goodbye," Grissom said.

"Bye," Sara hung up her phone. She sat back on her couch, feeling as if she was going to cry. This meant that Grissom was truly gone, he had a new job. He was moving on and leaving his team in Vegas.

A/N: Don't worry, there's one more chapter to come.


	9. The New Supervisor

Disclaimer: I still don't own CSI and I am beginning to think I never will.

_Caution:_ Contains spoilers for Mea Culpa if you haven't seen it and don't want it ruined, don't read this. This takes place directly after Mea Culpa.

**Breaking Grissom**

**Chapter 9: The New Supervisor**

Catherine finally got her wish and was moved to dayshift. That left one position open for the graveyard shift. The CSIs knew that their new boss was set to arrive soon and they sat waiting in the lounge.

"So, the new supervisor is supposed to be here today?" Greg asked.

"Yes," Warrick said.

"Which will officially mean that Grissom is gone," Sara sighed.

"I wonder who the new person is going to be," Nick wondered aloud, "hopefully someone we can get along with."

"I hope so too," Greg sat next to his fellow CSIs. He was now a CSI level one. Catherine had finally gotten around to giving him his first field test and he had passed with flying colors, as expected. Grissom had taught him well.

"I wish Ecklie had never gotten that promotion," Sara said, "because then we wouldn't be sitting here, waiting for someone from God-knows-where to show up."

"Just don't give the new supervisor a hard time," Warrick warned, "I know we are all missing Grissom, but it won't help if we are mean to the new person."

"Did Grissom ever tell you where he was going?" Nick asked Sara.

"No, come to think of it, he didn't say," Sara furrowed her brows, "I guess I'll have to find out the next time he calls me."

"Or you could find out right now," Grissom appeared in the doorway.

"Grissom!" Greg jumped up.

"What are you doing here?" Sara asked.

"This is my new job," Grissom smiled, "you never asked where I was going, so I thought I would let this be a surprise. I got a call the morning you called me, Sara, management told me all about Ecklie and asked if I was interested in my old position. Of course, I was thrilled and said yes right away."

"Let me be the first to say, welcome back to Vegas," Warrick smiled, "good to have you back."

"You lied to me on the phone," Sara accused, "you lead me to believe that you were gone for good!"

"Sorry," Grissom flashed her an apologetic smile, "but the important thing is I'm here now."

"Yes, that's the most important part, things around here can get back to as close to normal as possible. Of course Catherine will be gone, but we were expecting her to be promoted, right?" Nick said.

"True, this will be great, Catherine got her promotion and we got rid of Ecklie," Warrick laughed.

"So it's almost like this past month hasn't even happened," Grissom said.

"I'm glad you didn't take a job somewhere else," Sara said, "you belong with us."

"I do," Grissom agreed, "aside from my mother, you guys are the only family I have."

"Aw, are you trying to say you love us?" Nick teased.

"Actually, yes I was trying to say that," Grissom surprised them, "I know that in the past I have been a little distant emotionally and I'm going to try to change that. I'm not promising anything, but when I left here so suddenly, Sara's arrival reminded me that you guys were like my family. You should all know how much I appreciate you."

"Oh, guess who's a level one CSI now," Greg grinned.

"Congratulations," Grissom patted the youngest CSI on the back, "what else has been going on around here while I was away."

"Let's all grab a cup of coffee before shift starts," Warrick offered, "and catch up on what happened while you were gone."

"Good idea," Nick agreed.

"Wait, one more thing," Grissom left the room, leaving them all confused, "we should have Catherine in on our little party."

Grissom had spotted Catherine on her way out of the lab, and decided she was still part of their little family. She had found out earlier that Grissom was the 'new' supervisor that they were bringing in for nights. The old friends all grabbed cups of coffee and situated themselves comfortably so that they could talk.

"Looks like we all got our happy endings," Sara observed, "Catherine got the promotion she deserves, Ecklie is long gone, Greg is on his way to becoming a good CSI, and Grissom got to come back to the job he loves."

"And we all get to have our favorite boss back," Warrick added, "no offense Cath."

"None taken," Catherine said.

"The best part is still that Ecklie is gone. Maybe now things here can get back on track around here. Things had been getting pretty hectic," Nick said.

"That's because Conrad Ecklie was not very good at this job. He did okay as a CSI, but like I always said, he was never a science man. I am not at all surprised that he ended up screwing things up in an administrative position. Now maybe the lab will get on the right track," Grissom told them.

"Now you get to compete with me instead of Ecklie," Catherine teased.

"I'm not worried about you," Grissom smiled, "you do a great job and you know me better so we won't be butting heads like I did with Ecklie."

"You sure about that?" Catherine grinned.

Grissom laughed, "Yeah I'm sure."

"I hate to break this all up, but it's time for us to be starting our shift," Sara gestured to the clock, "you wouldn't want to be late on your first day, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't want to make a bad first impression with my new team," Grissom stood, "so I'll be right back with your assignments."

A/N: A happy ending for you. Some of you even seemed to read my mind! Thank you once again for all your great reviews, they really motivated me to finish writing this quickly. I was all excited for the new episode of CSI tomorrow (Dec. 9) and I found out I have a meeting that I HAVE to be at during CSI. L I called my mom and she's recording it for me, so I won't find out what happens until Friday night!


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